a snippet on growing spiritually…

…And yet the principal point in the spiritual life so entirely consists in disposing ourselves to grace by purity of life that if two persons were to consecrate themselves to the service of God at the same time and one were to devote himself wholly to good works and the other to apply himself altogether to the purifying of his heart and to rooting out whatever within him was opposed to grace the latter would attain to perfection twice as soon as the former.  [... Louis Lallemant]